Russian neurosurgeons alongside anthropologists and archaeologists have carried out pioneering tests to better understand how incredible operations on skulls were conducted more than 2,000 years ago.

Experts at the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography united
with prominent Russian neurosurgeons for a series of tests that
revealed the exceptional skillfulness of ancient doctors,
equipped only with primitive tools, The Siberian Times reported on Thursday.

The research followed last year’s discovery in the Altai
Mountains of three ancient sets of remains, which are about 2,300
to 2,500 years old and are believed to belong to members of the
Pazyryk nomadic tribe. The skulls of two men and a woman had
holes in them, so scientists suggested that they were examples of
trepanation, the oldest form of neurosurgery.

“Honestly, I am amazed. We suspect now that in the time of
Hippocrates, Altai people could do a very fine diagnosis and
carry out skillful trepanations and fantastic brain
surgery,” Aleksey Krivoshapkin, neurosurgeon, who
participated in the research, told the newspaper.

To explore the way ancient surgeons operated, the skulls were
first analyzed under a microscope. The precision and accuracy of
the doctors was proved by the facts that no traces were found of
the method how the skin was removed, and the skull surface
remained well-preserved.

The scientists revealed that the operations were conducted in two
stages. First, without perforating the skull, a sharp cutting
tool removed the surface layer of the bone, and only then a hole
was cut – with short and frequent movements.

“All three trepanations were performed by scraping. From the
traces on the surface of the studied skulls, you can see the
sequence of actions of the surgeons during the operations,”
said Krivoshapkin. “It is clearly seen that the ancient
surgeons were very exact and confident in their moves, with no
traces of unintentionally chips, which are quite natural when
cutting bone.”

At the final stage of the research, scientists recreated the
procedure on a modern skull with a replica of a knife likely
used. It took them only 28 minutes, but “required
considerable effort,” according to Krivoshapkin, who
performed the operation.

However, it is still unclear whether early nomads used any
anaesthetic or painkiller.